A Good Morning's Work

The multitasking trend continues. The major impetus appears to be drying glue. I can be a tad impatient and in the past I would keep on with a project while the glue was still wet. With plastic the results are fingerprints permanently etched in the model. With pewter your fingers stick to the parts and warp them out of shape. So I have developed the habit of walking away to do something else. Hence the reports on so many different aspects of the layout at one time.

This morning I managed to do some more work on the passenger sharks. I finished the basic shell of the B unit, removed the panel seams from the one A unit and sanded all three. I hate using anything less than #400 because it tends to leave nasty scratches in the work, witness the marks shown here...

Scratches From Sanding

So after I removed the seam detail from the A unit and finished patching a slight defect in the B, I set about "restoring" the finish on the three shells. I used a silicon carbide "sandpaper" that is used in the auto industry for finishing paint. It's waterproof so it can be used for wet sanding, a technique that results in a high quality finish. I used wet sanding on these three shells. The rough sanding was done with #400. For the second sanding I used #800. I finished off with #1500 a very fine grit that can polish wood. Great for finishing motorcycle "tins" (tanks and fenders).

Once the sanding was finished, I started adding the panel seams to the shells. I use strip 0.010" x 0.020" styrene strips. They may seem small, but this is N scale and even at that size the seams are still over 3" wide and 1.5" deep. I make the horizontal seams first. Instead of eyeballing the distance this time I actually used a scale measurement and made them 3' apart. I tack down the end at the cab with liquid styrene cement and walk away while the glue sets...

Panel Spacing: Vertical

I went out to the layout and made some adjustments on the styrofoam armature for Kittanning Point. I worked on the raised fill inside the curve, started the mountain to the right of The Point and Kittanning Run...

Kittanning Run

I also mocked up the actual skin of the mountain. I was going to use craft paper soaked in wall paper paste, but the wife suggested cheese cloth. She handed me a few yards and I draped it over the armature. I crumpled some tin foil that I will use as a mold of the rock face and put that in place at The Curve...

Viewing The Curve From KN

It's actually beginning to look like something...

Horseshoe Curve

Once again I walked away while the glue set. Since it was almost lunch time I did a quick modification on the helix. I cut the dowels that serve as the uprights at the top level...

Stretching The Helix

I have an idea that I want to try...While working on the track work I found that I had to raise the upper level so I could finish the connection to the previous level. I didn't think about it at the time, but it has occurred to me since that it sure would come in handy if I could do this anytime I needed. It would allow access to the various levels. Since the helix is a helical spiral it can be stretched like a toy slinky...

Slinky

I'm thinking that if I use long enough uprights I can do something similar. The levels are kept separated by 2" spacers that are not glued to the levels or the uprights They can move. If I revise the helix so the levels can also move. The spacers and the plywood would be able to travel up the uprights...

Expanded Helix

The drawing is rather crude, but you may get the gist of the idea. I don't expect it to open as wide as shown, just expand the helix to some extent, at least enough to work on track or retrieve a derailed train.

Won't know until I've tried it.

Regards,

Frank Musick

Building a dream layout on a nightmare budget

The Allegheny Eastern Railroad